


The Greatest Gift of 1946 (4 years old.)

by The_Cecilia_Egg



Series: Paternal Instincts (How to Raise Your Halfling Boys and Navigate Other Disasters) [13]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine, bendy and boris in the inky mystery - Fandom
Genre: Anniversary, Bendy please practice some safety if front of your son, Boris is a Good Brother, F/M, Getting injured by said invention...many times..., Slow Dancing, Takes place after Inky Mystery, gestures of love, inventing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:49:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26574787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Cecilia_Egg/pseuds/The_Cecilia_Egg
Summary: A very special date is coming up for Bendy and Alice, their anniversary...and Bendy want's to knock her socks off.
Relationships: Alice Angel/Bendy (Bendy and the Ink Machine)
Series: Paternal Instincts (How to Raise Your Halfling Boys and Navigate Other Disasters) [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1863781
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	The Greatest Gift of 1946 (4 years old.)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Bendy and Boris in The Inky Mystery](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10726146) by [Mercowe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mercowe/pseuds/Mercowe), [ThisAnimatedPhantom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisAnimatedPhantom/pseuds/ThisAnimatedPhantom). 



> This takes place after [ThisAnimatedPhantom's](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisAnimatedPhantom/pseuds/ThisAnimatedPhantom) and [Mercowe's](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mercowe/pseuds/Mercowe) [Inky Mystery](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10726146/chapters/23768241), an amazing fanfic, which I highly recommend.
> 
> Without further ado...

“Dad...that’s not going to work.” Dante sighed, watching his father work on Mom’s ‘surprise’. The ‘gift’ in question had already fallen apart twice. It’s predecessor caught on fire. The one before that didn’t even work right, ripping out some of Uncle Boris’ fur. Why Dad refused to get flowers was beyond him. Mom loved flowers. She even used her magic sometimes to plant them around the house.

“Sure it will, bud!” Dad cheered merrily as he worked on the wiring... _again_. “You’d be amazed how a little positivity works wonders.”

“Does it work on the dead?” He replied dryly, crossing his tiny arms. “Because at this rate, you’re gonna get zapped.” Seriously, with all those wires being ‘hot’ as Dad put it. It was only a matter of time before he messed up. Sure, Dad knew way more than him but that didn’t seem safe.

“Nonsense.” Dad chuckled, waving him off. “I’m a professional, son. I know what I’m-” Two of the ‘hot’ wires touched, spewing out sparks. Dad yelped as some singed his fur, the rest lighting his creation up in a blaze of glory. Dante sighed, grabbing the bucket of water by him, dousing creator and creation. So much for 'nonsense'.

“You were saying?” Dad coughed, wiping water out his face. He scowled as a wave of irritation rose up. Why was he so ticked? He literally _just_ warned him about the wires. He didn’t listen, and boom! Zapped. Though...he didn’t predict the fire. Maybe that was it.

“Don’t cussin’ sass me.” Dante arched a brow at him, waving a hand to the wires. Dad let out a long sigh, giving a kick to his failed gift. “Maybe we should give it a break.” Waves of frustration poured off the old man as he trudged off to report yet another failure to the other mechanics.

Dante felt bad for him but he didn’t know really how to help. Well...past dousing him in water when things caught on fire. That was common sense. Dad didn’t tell _anyone_ but Uncle Boris what he was trying to make. Made it clear Dante couldn’t breathe a word of it to Mom. It was a present to her for their anniversary.

Nine years, but not quite ten. Dad wanted it to be special. Unique. _Just for her_ . He’d been drawing up plans for months. He thought he finally found the right one but so far, it was a resounding ‘no’. Dante wished he could help but he didn’t understand _any_ of the blueprints.

He’d just have to wait. Bucket ready for the next fire.

-

Dad tried again the next morning. He stayed up late rebuilding the burned frame while Uncle Boris cleaned up the surviving internal mechanism. The wolf seemed unhappy about cleaning it again, and advised against installing it until the internal wiring was done. Dad conceded, setting it aside.

Dante silently watched him rewire the inside. He seemed determined to get it done as soon as possible. Whatever it was. He installed speakers on the bottom, with all sorts of fancy gizmos in the middle. The internal mechanism settled on top, everything leading up to the rounded contraption.

Dad and Uncle Boris were incredibly careful with it. He could feel their anxiety installing it. It almost slipped out when Uncle Boris reached out for a screwdriver. Dad’s panic spiked, diving for it, ready to save it from the floor. Dante didn’t want it to fall and break, so it didn’t.

The machine calmly slid back up to where it was supposed to. He smiled as Dad looked confused. It wasn’t confusing, the machine was just being nice. Dante just asked it not to break and it decided not too. Nothing complicated or weird about that. Didn’t stop Dad from telling it over and over to Uncle Boris for the rest of the evening. Adults were weird.

-

Then next time Dante got to see Dad’s ‘gift’, it was actually working! It lit up and the little arms up top moved when he pressed the buttons. Dad seemed beside himself with joy, Uncle Boris stoically proud as ever. Dante still didn’t get what it was or what it did. Looked pretty though. Mom would love the pretty glowing lights on the outside.

Dad put in a plastic record, hitting a button and watching it load. Dante peered curiously at it. Was it a music box? Mom loved music! Her record player did break a little while ago too… That had to be it! He eagerly waited for the record to play, only for the little arm to throw the vinyl disk straight in his face.

Uncle Boris freaked out, trying to get the machine to stop free styling. And Dad was smashing the vinyl for hitting him in the face. Dante sighed from the floor watching Dad smash the remains of the record before he came back picking him up. His face felt wet and stingy.

“Guess we’re payin’ the Doc another visit this week, bud.” Dad sighed. He felt worried and frustrated. Dante just felt tired...maybe a little angry at the machine.

“I’m pretty sure Mom would roast you for dinner, if you got zapped again.” He chuckled, shaking his head.

“Pretty sure she’d gonna roast me anyways, buddy.” The Doctor who’s name always eluded him, Oddball? Oddswhale? Eh, it didn’t matter. Dante had to get some stitches on his forehead, which did _not_ feel great. And Dad was right. Mom looked ready to breath fire when she saw the bandages.

Dante wasn’t so sure this ‘gift’ was worth all the trouble. Certainly not the itchy stitches.

-

Dante wasn’t allowed near Dad when he was working until further notice. Sitting in the office was pretty boring but the radio was nice. His favorite song switched on, ‘[to each his own](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G5wqiLiPHg)’. The good one, by the Ink Spots. It was sappy but it reminded him of his parents. They were pretty sappy.

Scratch that, super sappy. Dad was trying to invent some starfallen music player just for her. He could easily buy her one, or get her some flowers. But no, he had to make it. That’s how much he loved Mom. It wasn’t just the ‘gift’, anything could be a gift. It was the work and intent behind it.

Or at least that’s what the movies Mom slept through said.

“Danny, could you switch the radio off real quick, bud?” Dad called from inside the shop. Dante shrugged, switching the radio off as soon as the song finished. Music softly drifted through the shop. Dad’s joy felt like it exploded. He let out a loud ‘whoop’, running in the office with a grin a mile wide.

“You gotta check this out!” Dad giddily grabbed his arm, pulling him along to the shop. “It works. It _works!”_ Dad grandly threw up his arms at the bright machine, playing a record in the top. Dante peered it in, watching the vinyl spin until the song was over. He flinched when the arm reached out for the disk.

Rather than beam it at him, it gently picked up the record. Lifting it up, returning it to an empty slot. Dad was bouncing in place. Since it didn’t smack him again, Dante decided let bygones be bygones. Besides it was pretty berries.

“It can hold fifty records at once!” Dad gushed happily over his creation. “Your mother’s gonna love this!” He grinned proudly.

“I don’t think Mom even owns fifty records…” Dante ran a hand through his hair. Last he counted she had thirty three. She kept them all in their sleeves, and guarded them heavily. Though...in the box they’d be safe. She could press a button and play whatever she wanted!

“She doesn’t.” Dad confirmed with a sharp nod. “Not yet.” Dante grinned up at him.

“Mom’s gonna flip over this.”

“I hope so.” Dad ruffled his hair. “A lotta work went into this thing.”

“And fire.” Dante tacked on. “Can’t forget the fire.”

“Yeah…” Dad coughed awkwardly into his hand. “Can’t forget about that.” He mumbled. Dante hugged him from the side, squishing his cheeks’ against his Father’s leg.

“It’s the best music box that there ever was. Fire and all.” Dad laughed, picking him up and settling him on his waist.

“Is that so?” Dante nodded rapidly. It was simply a fact. Most music boxes only played one song, not a bunch. Much less stored them. _And_ they didn’t light up either. So there. Dad's was the best.

“Yep.”

“‘I’ll take your word for it.” Dad set him back down, ruffling his hair one last time. “Now we just gotta figure out a way to sneak it home....” The two looked at each other and nodded in solidarity.

“Aunt Holly.”

-

Bendy felt like the genius of the century. Inventing a brand new record player just for Alice, and tricking her out the house for the day. Holly masterfully was able to convince Alice of a ‘rune emergency’ at her store. He’d have to thank her later.

He and Boris shipped the creation, and had a hell of a time getting it the house. Dante just watched them, shaking his head _somehow_ like a disappointed parent. How a four year old managed that perfectly, was beyond Bendy. After thirty minutes, they tried around back, which worked like a charm. Then it was just a matter of plugging it in and loading Alice's records.

He nearly had a heart attack when he dropped a record, but it floated right up into the machine. And _of course_ when Boris wasn’t watching! At least Dante believed him.

“It was just being nice. It didn’t want to break and make Mom sad. She takes such good care of them, just like everything else.” He replied zenly. Bendy had no idea how to reply to that. He highly doubted that but if it made his little guy happy and it wasn’t shattered on the floor, then whatever. All’s well that ends well.

From there, it was a matter of getting his ‘fancy’ anniversary dinner ready. Boris kept trying to sneak bites when he wasn’t looking, so Danny was on ‘Wolf Duty’. Eventually his brother gave up trying to sneak food. Only person who did puppy eyes better than him was Dante. Good luck fighting those off.

Boris left half an hour before Holly was supposed to drop Alice off and everything was perfect. Dinner done in twenty five minutes. Present set up. Dante setting the table, all four spots for their family. Him, Alice, Dante, and Finn. Finn was on a strict ‘no food’ diet but he liked to join the family. Another thing Bendy didn’t get but if it made him happy.

He slipped on his best suit after plating the food, tying his bow-tie perfectly. Dante needed some help with his, somehow nearly strangling himself with it. Yeah, they didn’t need _another_ trip to the doctor this month. Last time Red threatened to make them a rewards card...

A knock came at the door, and Bendy smoothed out his fur. “Ready for the show to start, buddy?” Dante winked, squeezing Finn close to his chest.

“Mm-hmm.” He nodded confidently. Bendy grinned down at him.

“Berries.”

-

“Bendy, I’m home!” Alice called out. She half expected to hear ‘Hey I’m home, I’m Bendy’ or ‘Welcome home, Doll’. Possibly a long drawn out ‘Mom’ from Dante. She chuckled to herself despite the quiet, hanging up her coat. Something smelled wonderful and she felt herself get giddy.

Their anniversary was today, and he never ceased to amaze her. _Oh_ , was she going to _knock_ his socks off this year. Holly was able to make up some excuse about needing her help with ‘a rune emergency’ or some load of horsefeathers. The two were able to finish up her gift to Bendy just in time! She'd have to thank Holly for her quick thinking later.

She had been worried they wouldn’t make it in time. But they persevered! She patted her pocket, where the trinket rested. Oh, she couldn’t wait to give it to him! Resisting the urge to bounce was getting harder. Better just head in the kitchen, discover the source of the smell. She skipped in to see the table already set, and her boys waiting.

“Just in time, Doll.” Bendy purred. She flushed and giggled. She loved that purr. He grinned, pulling out her chair. Dante looked very confused between the two of them. Ah, right. Emotions. She cleared her throat, nudging her head towards their son. Bendy’s cheeks now matched her’s. Later. Child in the room.

“Glad to make it.” She slipped in her chair and he gently pushed her in. Alice spun her fork around in her hand, between her fingers. Dante always made the cutest little face when he watched her do that. A little something to distract him for the moment. “So, what’s for dinner?” 

Bendy grinned proudly, retrieving the plates hidden from out of sight. Braised chicken breast with fettuccine alfredo and roasted vegetables on the side. He didn’t even put bacon in it. She didn’t hesitate to get a forkful of vegetables. They were just firm enough to hold shape but tender enough to chew with ease. And she was wrong, he used bacon fat, but still. It’s the thought that counts and it tasted _amazing_.

“She loves it.” Dante whispered. Alice resisted the urge to snort. She felt like on some level using Dante to gauge the mood was cheating but it _was_ giving her ideas for the coming holiday season. Heh he. Then again, Danny didn’t _exactly_ do subtlety. Bendy chuckled, handing a plate to each of them, and an empty one to Finn.

“I can tell.” He winked playfully at her and they ate mostly in silence. She eyed Dante’s plate every now and again to make sure he was eating his vegetables. Oddly, he ate them all first before moving onto the chicken. Good boy. “Oh, and Al?”

“Mmm?” She paused, looking up to that infernal grin.

“Don’t fill up too much, we have dessert too.” Bendy teased with a wink, finishing off his own plate. Collecting his dishes and heading over to the sink to wash up. Dante finished up his meal the same time as her, trying to take her plate, but Bendy swept them all up. Right back to the sink, scrubbing away.

“Soooo, what’s for dessert.” Alice leaned towards Bendy, but Dante tugged on her dress. She leaned back. “Yes, sweetie?”

“If you lean too much, you’ll fall out of your chair.” He whispered softly. “It hurts a lot, trust me.” Oh, he was just the sweetest little guy. Always looking out for his Mama. She ruffled his hair affectionately.

“Thank you for the advice. I’ll be sure to watch out.” Dante nodded sharply.

“And it’s ice cream.” He whispered. “Chocolate, your favorite. The really espensive one.”

 _“Dante!”_ Bendy scandalized. Dish water sloshing dramatically. “Not yet.” He hissed.

“But it’s true?” He tilted his head confused. “And you didn’t answer Mom.” Bendy just sighed in defeat. “What?” Alice giggled into her hand. _“What!?”_

“He’s not wrong.” She snorted quietly.

“I know…” Bendy puffed, stacking the dishes to dry. “Should I serve us up now, or wait a little bit.”

“I’ll wait.” She hummed. “I think I’ll give dinner a chance to settle first.”

“I’ll pass.” Dante deadpanned. Both adults looked at him.

“Bud, I was asking your Mom.” Bendy chuckled weakly.

“I know, but Finn wanted me to put in our thoughts.” He explained, grabbing said plush. “He’s full and can’t take another bite.”

“That’s very...thoughtful, Danny.” Kids could be so odd sometimes. That was alright, Alice loved all her boys the same. Quirks and all. Her fingers slipped to her pocket, grabbing her gift. “Speaking of thoughtful…this dinner was lovely, Bends.” Bendy perked up, cheeks flushed and confidence right back up.

“Well, ah, um,” He cleared his throat. “Happy anniversary, Alice.” He blushed more, rubbing the back of his neck. “Hope we have many more to come.” She wrapped her fingers around her gift, this was the moment! She set her hands around his, slipping it in his grasp and sealing it with a kiss.

“Me too. I love you, Bendy.” He was just beet red, pulling the item in his hand closer. “I made you something special. It’s little but it can do some _incredible_ things.” She eagerly watched him hold up the dark stained wood. It looked similar to a pocket knife but this was so much better! The runes took forever to get right but it was worth it.

“What is it? A knife?” He tried flicking it open but nothing happened. Alice held out her hand beckoning with her fingers. He handed it over and she gripped the handle.

“Just picture what you want, put in a little magic and-” The metal moved like water into a glass, sloshing to fill some invisible mold in the shape of a screwdriver. “Voila!” His jaw dropped watching it, Dante started clapping. “Just let it go or change its shape again to get it to stop.” She tossed it lightly to him, the liquid-like metal vanishing back into the handle. Bendy caught it in awe, eyes lit up like a starry night sky.

“Al, this is...I...Wow...gimme a second here.” He sputtered, messing with it. He made a short knife, a spoon, a fork, a wrench, and a wine opener. It slid back into the wooden handle and he giggled giddily, slipping it in his pocket. “This gonna save me so much on specialty tools!” He gushed, running up to her and lifting her up in a hug. “Thank you, thankyouthankyou _thankyou_ , Al!” She grinned, ruffling the fur between his horns.

“He really likes it.” Dante cut in. “As much as when you give him the last slice of bacon.” High praise indeed. “Maybe a little more.” The boy muttered under his breath to Finn.

“I can tell.” He finally set her down bouncing on his feet. He took up both her hands, leading her towards the living room. Dante hopped down with Finn, trailing after them.

“I made ya a little something’ too. It ain’t exactly small so...” He led her to the corner where something was covered up. He let go of her hands, grabbing the edge of the sheet, a dull glow emitting from under it. “Ready?” She nodded eagerly, tip toeing closer.

Bendy grandly ripped off the sheet to reveal an odd box. It was a little shorter than him, surrounded by pretty glowing lights. Dark wood with golden carving and a diamond shaped screen on the bottom. A clear glass pane up top with rows of pearly white buttons. Most of them were numbered one through fifty, but a few had words. Such as ‘open’, ‘play’, and ‘load’. 

The angel had no idea what it was.

She stepped up to it, peering in the glass. It had a turntable and little arms? Alice gasped seeing all her records inside, stacked up on little shelves. She set her hand down to get a close look and hit a button. She yelped, jumping back as the little arms moved to retrieve a record. Settling it on the turntable and lowering the needle. Her music started drifting out the machine.

“I figured it’d be neater than just some boring ol' record player.” Bendy chuckled, pulling out a slip of paper. “I wrote down which number has which record. There’s a little shelf on the inside, that’s where all your covers are. If you ever want to change the order or when ya get more records and we hafta pick and choose, lemme know and I’ll show ya how to load it.” He swallowed, pulling at his bow-tie as she took the list reading it over. “D-Do ya like it?”

Alice silently read her list, looking for a particular record. A single to be precise. She smiled at number twenty-nine, gently hitting the button, followed by play. It quickly loaded the single, while her husband was becoming a mess behind her. The angel set the list down on top and held out her hand

“Only one way to make sure.” The [ song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnxupEXxrTI) slowly came on, a gentle waltz. “May I have this dance?”

“Always.” The two joined hands, drifting close. “‘So this is love’?” He chuckled as they moved to the melody. 

“Mm-hmm.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “Thank you. It’s perfect.” After a few minutes the song switched off, the player returning the record to it’s home. That didn’t stop them from dancing together. Dante watched them from the couch with Finn, smiling to his pal. He yawned, curling up on the couch.

They both felt warm, buttery, and fuzzy. Like Granny’s cooking, but better. It wasn’t gone in an instant. Surrounding but not suffocating. Just right. He snuggled up to Finn, murmuring to his foxy friend. “I think they had a good night.” Finn nodded as his eyes grew too heavy to watch. “Happy anniversary…Mommy and Daddy.” He muttered before drifting away to dream land.

**Author's Note:**

> The Record Jukebox that we know now was created in 1946, though not by Bendy but by Paul Fuller. Sorry Bends.
> 
> A brief discussion on the server about period specific inventions, it led us to wonder what would Bendy invent? After musing on many inventors who ‘loved to the point of invention’, such as William Stewart Halsted (Surgical Rubber Gloves) and Oscar J. Kambly (Goldfish Snack). We decided that, yes, Bendy would too. He would absolutely invent something for Alice. And the Jukebox? Absolutely.


End file.
